Crown of Thorns
by Hope Falls
Summary: Based on a challenge issued by Cucumber. Rosalie has no trust in men - she shies away from them. It also doesn't help that she's quite so beautiful, because more men happen to be drawn to her… But Emmett McCarthy wants to prove to her that he isn't an


Crown of Thorns

(1/?)

Author: Hopefalls (Jen)

Summary: Based on a challenge issued by Cucumber. Rosalie has no trust in men - she shies away from them. It also doesn't help that she's quite so beautiful, because more men happen to be drawn to her…

But Emmett McCarthy wants to prove to her that he isn't another one of _those _men. He's different, and he's going to do whatever it takes for her to trust him.

Timeline: Set before Twilight, slight changes to canon. Emmett did not become a vampire in 1935 after being mauled by a bear. He just became a vampire a year ago, and Rosalie didn't ask Carlisle to save him- Carlisle is the one who found him in the wilderness after his attack.

* * *

**the unwanted.**

The forest blew by me in a blur, my legs moving flawlessly in time as I closed in on my prey. The fact was, they really put up no fight at all. Even the mountain lion knew immediately that I was the stronger of the two of us., that this was the end of its life. There had been a time that this had been hard for me, when it had seemed unnatural. Now it was simply a way of survival. A matter of sustaining myself. My teeth tore through the tender skin at the scruff of the lion's neck, where the blood had been rushing hot and furious through its veins. A moment later I withdrew and the lifeless body of the lion fell to the ground with a gentle, almost silent thud.

"Rose?" I heard the sound of the familiar voice in the forest that surrounded me. The truth was that I'd been trying to get away from everyone. That was the one thing wrong with this family that I'd been a part of for going on ninety years now- the privacy… or lack thereof. It was the voice of my brother, of Edward, that came calling through the woods. Instead of responding to him then, my body stilled as I leant against a tree. I knew that is his voice was near, that he would appear in mere moments. In an instant he was before me, his topaz orbs piercing mine, though mine were no longer darkened with thirst..

"Carlisle sent me for you." He continued, not needing to pause for breath. "It's happened."

I paused momentarily, my hand moving silently to brush a long golden curl away from my face out of mere habit.

"It?"

"Emmett." Edward spoke slowly, his eyes still piercing me, surely catching the annoyed roll of my eyes. "His change is complete, Carlisle says that he's no longer a newborn. He has control over himself, which he wants to test. The rest of us still need to hunt, but since you've wandered off on your own and finished, Carlisle wants _you_ to take Emmett out and log his improvement."

My brow furrowed in annoyance- so _that's_ what this was all about.. Carlisle had sent Edward out after me, in the middle of my hunting to get me return to the house and to baby-sit the extremely unwanted new addition to our family. Well, unwanted on my end at least. Our coven was big enough, the biggest that I knew of next to the Volturi. The last thing that I wanted was another nuisance. The scowl grew more obvious on my face whilst my head churned through all the possible excuses I could give to Carlisle.

"Edward, I think maybe-"

"Rose? Give it a rest." Edward spoke after a short pause the agitation clear in his voice. Quickly he closed in the distance between us. "None of us complained when you joined us- just give him the benefit of the doubt."

I merely shook my head at his words, beginning to walk away. This was all so easy for him to say, Edward had nothing against men. He had nothing against anyone. With no reason to feel any prejudice, he could welcome everyone with open arms like they were always a necessary addition… I didn't see it that way. I never would, either, and couldn't understand how he could forget that- especially with all his annoying insight into my mind. Just another male for Carlisle to try to 'bond' me with, as he had with Edward. Another man, like the so many that I'd met through the years, trying to use their words to weasel their way closer to me.

There was a visible coldness in my blank expression as I silently and gracefully moved back towards our home, hidden deep in the woods. With a flowing, rapid movement Edward was behind me. I'd heard his approach but hadn't expected the feeling of his hand resting on my shoulder.

"Maybe he's not like _the others._" He breathed.

The words were enough to set me off. I spun around abruptly, feeling my eyes widen in pure anger at my brother. He'd been reading my thoughts again, my intimate, _private _thoughts. He was the one person who really knew and understood my struggles- but at the same time they were struggles I wanted everyone to know nothing about. My fears, my weaknesses, my unwanted memories... they weren't really mine, Edward's too.

But the assumption that he had a right to say anything, to have an opinion on the matter made the skin on the back of my neck stand up in complete fury. My upper lip curled back, baring my teeth. Edward turned back to marble as he watched me, knowing my intent wasn't to hurt him at all.

"_Don't_." I growled simply, my hands balled in fists at my side to control my emotions as best as I could. Then, silently, I sprinted from the forest and back towards the house. I freed myself, but headed straight to where another unwanted task awaited me.

* * *

"We'll only be gone for a couple days in the mountains, Rose."

Carlisle was speaking to my utterly emotionless face, and though I was tempted to scowl at the words, 'only a couple of days', I didn't. Carlisle had risked a lot for me in the past- he'd saved me from death, though he'd had no obligation. And although I was grateful for that, I sometimes wondered if death would've been preferable to this... this _life_. My pain would've vanished, along with the memories… Instead they hovered over me like a plague, like a black cloud inside me that could never dissipate.

"It's fine, Carlisle, I can handle it." My words were simple and to the point. Not wanting to handle it and not being able to were two completely different things. I could manage being around this Emmett, to test him in the ways that Carlisle wanted but it _definitely_ wasn't something I would enjoy. Moments after giving them my reassurances, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Alice silently disappeared out the front door. Edward took a moment longer, to give me a last knowing look, but then they were all gone.

I let out a slow breath of something like relief, glancing silently in Emmett's direction. I walked soundlessly, seemingly without my feet touching the hardwood floor, into the living room. As I sat down into the comfort of the couch, my eyes closed for a moment as I tried to gather my thoughts- or rather, to push them to the back of my mind.

"We haven't really talked since... my _change_." A voice began, "I'm Emmett."

If there was a heart in my chest, it would have began pounding faster at the sheer surprise I'd been given. My eyes were open in an instant, taking in his large, burly appearance. They moved on to the small, dark curls that he wore so well, not to mention the dimples that magnified the small smile that he'd been offering me. My granite body tensed as I took in him in, drank him up, in the first time that I'd really been forced to take notice. I'd done my best over the seemingly short last year to avoid him, completely and utterly. I didn't want to see his face, or hear his name. I'd been trying my best to pretend that he wasn't there. Yet apparently, this had done absolutely no good.

"Yeah. Well, that wasn't by accident _Edmund_." I purposely messed up his name, trying to irritate him. Maybe if I annoyed him enough, or treated him badly, he would tell Carlisle that he didn't want to be left alone with me again. Surely, that'd be reason enough for Carlisle to not try to bond us?

Then, it clicked. It was like that imaginary light bulb flickered on in my head. This hadn't been by accident- Carlisle had noticed that I was going hunting on my own a lot more often. Things just happened to fall into place for him. It was just like with Edward and me, once I changed he tried to push us together, force incongruous pieces of a puzzle together, hoping that we would end up with the same 'happily ever after' that he, Esme, Alice and Jasper all shared. The unconditional, endless companionship.

Well, if I wanted companionship I'd get a pet, not a groom. There was a sudden edge of irritation that was rising in me with the realization that I'd been set up. And being that Emmett was such a young vampire, I knew that he couldn't be left alone. Not if he was supposed to be our kind of 'vegetarian', fitting with the lifestyle that Carlisle, Edward, and Esme had introduced to the rest of us.

"The name's Emmett." He corrected after a short moment, in the same tone as before. However, when he continued speaking his eyebrow was raised slightly, in a knowing manner as though he realized that the name mistake was on purpose. It had been, there was no question about that. But I wondered if he'd yet figured out that I'd only done so to agitate him.

"You're Rose, right?"

"Well, I'm sure as hell not a lilac, Edmund."

I was trying harder now, to appear obtusely cold and sarcastic. Though this was more often than not the basis of my personality, I was trying hard to magnify it for his benefit. Still the irritated look that I was hoping for never came. Agitation never flashed across his features.

The look that did come, however, infuriated me. A low chuckle escaped his lips, his darkened pupils seemed to dance with amusement as he studied me.

"Whatever you say, Al."

My head snapped up at his words then, my lips forming a straight line before I spoke quietly between them. "Excuse me. What did you just call me?"

"Al."

"Al?"

"Al." He repeated, my forehead creasing shortly as I mulled over it in my mind. Al? Really? Did I actually look like an Al? A truck driver with a beer belly. Or better yet, a plumber- a plumber with a too-tight flannel shirt on, and jeans that sat far too low on my hips. I cringed at the thought before my eyes returned to him. Damn him! I was supposed to be getting to him. And instead, he'd found the perfect counter.

"My name is not Al, Edmund."

"No? Well, I thought it was quite fitting." Emmett trailed off slowly, as though in thought, his lips pursing together perfectly. "You seem to be _so_ forgetful, so I thought... Al. Short for Alzheimer's. There is a very easy way to get me to stop calling you Al."

I rolled my eyes at him, completely irritated now. He had to take the control, had to act like he was the one in charge. Did he not get that I had over ninety years on him when it came to being a vampire? When it came down to it, it was likely that he had more brute strength, but surely I was more skilled than the meat head that stood across from me. I didn't even look at him, I simply stared straight ahead at the bare wall. I'd spent the majority of my life having decisions taken away from me. Even though _I_ was trying to get under _his_ skin, I didn't expect for him to react in this way. For him to turn it around on me and easily climb beneath mine as easily as a parasite. Like a leech. The thought looped back to the fact we were both vampires, that we both sucked blood, and I was unable to stop the small smirk that curved through my lips.

"Well?" I asked shortly after a moment.

"It's simple- call me Emmett, I'll call you Rosalie."

I glared at him silently before nodding my head.

"Fine, _Emmett_." Ugh. Did he have to take away my fun? I just wanted a chance for him to utterly hate me. Instead, it seemed like he was doing a damn good job of making me hate him.

"I suppose we should go, find out how weak you really are." I spoke to him, running my hand through my blond waves whilst rising to my feet. With that, I slipped out of the room, carefully keeping a safe amount of space between the two of us.

Seattle. That's where we would go- that would be the perfect test.


End file.
